Wednesday, October 14, 2015

A little over a year ago I was able to try out a component that I was a bit leery of, but my buddy MG was pretty adamant that it was "the real deal". So, trusting him, he sent it to me to try out, and I was pretty dang impressed. (You can see the post I did concerning the component here) It is a suspension seat post. Yeah.....I know, usually you think of some lame telescopic, heavy boat anchor of a seat post that has bad swivel and breaks easily. Or maybe you think of those elastomer sprung parallelogram posts that have pivots that squeak and get loosened up within a short period of time. Well.....that's kind of where I was a year ago. Not so much these days.

You see, Cirrus Cycles Body Float seat post is a different beast. It isn't a telescopic seat post, so it doesn't have the twisty-turny issues that those types of suspension posts can have. It isn't a parallelogram arranged in the way that others have done, so your body doesn't move fore and aft as the post moves through its travel. You go up and down, and if you set the preload properly, you won't even notice it after a awhile. You'll just be fresher and less fatigued by road chatter, especially that which you find on gravel roads.

It is not sprung by an elastomer, but rather by coil steel springs which are not affected by weather and will not degrade in harsh environments. It comes in three shaft material choices, and unlike many suspension seatposts before it, it is fine tuneable for anyone up to 300 lbs. Oh......I won't hide it, and you've probably already guessed it, this thing is expensive.

By swapping coil springs and using the preload, you can fine tune this post for almost anyone.

The question that comes immediately afterword is easy. Is the benefit you gain worth the price of admission? Now I had a good "test ride" on this model last year at Odin's Revenge. It was rough, brutal, and I could not find fault with the post. The preload screw on that one did back out a bit, but that has been addressed in this latest version of the post, and that did not adversely affect my experience with the post last year. In fact, I didn't even notice it until after I was done for the day.
I had made a decision last year that I wanted one of these for myself, and I sent back the first one I tried, as it was a review model. So, I finally made good on that and my new Body Float post arrived in the mail yesterday. As I mentioned above, the shaft of the post can be had in aluminum, carbon fiber, or titanium. I opted for the titanium shaft, which, as you can imagine, is the most expensive option. It isn't the lightest option, but the carbon one is barely lighter. The MSRP on the post I have is $415.00. Aluminum shafted posts run $275.00. Like I say- not cheap.

So, again- Is it worth it? Well, I think if the durability and longevity is there, the answer is yes. I don't know how long I'll be able to go, but we will see how long it lasts. The thing is really well made, the fit and finish is top notch, and this thing has been field tested and evolved in design to a fine state. What it does for the ride is, well.....hard to explain in words. However; it does as advertised and, I believe it has something else. It definitely changes how the bike handles for the better.
I'll be messing with this post on my fat bike and later, on my gravel rigs. Along the way, I'll occasionally make a few observations here. Stay tuned.......

Note: This post was purchased with my own damn money and I am not being paid nor bribed for this post.

5 comments:

Wow! Of all the places on the internet, I wasn't expecting your blog to get to this product first. But that's good, because you're very straight up on all your reviews of things. So, in giving your general recommendation for this, would you say that gravel/dirt roads is where it really shines? I wonder if the price/performance ratio isn't so helpful on nicer paved roads. Nicer, in that they aren't strewn with gravel, but do have their share of bumps and potholes, etc...

@STF_ill: Hey there! Let me make one point perfectly clear before I make any other comments- You mentioned that you didn't expect my "blog to get this product first". I am sure you didn't mean it this way, but I want to underscore that by "get" that means "bought". Too many folks think I and other bloggers "get" stuff for free to review, when that is not at all the case here.

Just to be perfectly clear- "I bought this with my own damn money"!

Sorry, but I want to leave no doubt there.

So, anyway.....yeah. The post is perfect for gravel roads, rougher roads, and what not. I can feel it soaking up stuff on the busted up roads on my commute, so I believe you would see a definite increase in comfort immediately with this post. But........that's not all I see going on here. I have another angle I am pursuing with regard to this post which I feel is another positive byproduct of the design. I have been talking with my buddy MG, (who also bought one of these posts, and will be reviewing it for RidingGravel.com), and he and I are seeing the same thing. Stay tuned for our conclusions there.

But in your case, I think the outright claims of Cirrus Cycles will prove themselves to be worth it for your purposes.

Yeah, apologies on that. I am well aware of your disclaimers in the reviews you do, whether or not an item is purchased or provided. I didn't mean "get" in any specific way, but I can definitely say that I'm accustomed to most other bike sites indeed getting things for free, so I wouldn't put it past myself to quickly conclude that you got the post for free!

Ted, is it a setback post as well. It looks like it is, but I can't tell and their website doesn't mention that. I currently ride a thud-buster that came stock on my Fargo. Interested in your thoughts on this versus regulator you bought last year (gravel and some singlet rack)

@Dave: The post does have some set back. Without a third hand here at the moment to help me measure exactly, I'm going to guess it is about 20-25mm of set back. That said, due to the design of the clamp, you have a lot of room to move your post forward, as I have. MG, my friend who also is running one of these posts does this as well.

The Regulator has a palpable amount of "give" which does smooth out the medium sized dips and bumps. The difference here is that the BodyFloat smooths out ALL the smaller frequency trail chatter AND gives with the medium sized dips and bumps. So, the Body Float wins when it comes to vibration elimination versus the Regulators "giving" over some trail bumps and dips.